5 People Displaced By Residential Fire In Concord

An electrical fire at a home in Concord displaced five people Saturday evening, a fire official said. Fire crews responded at 8:35 p.m. to a report of a fire in the 5200 block of Clovis Court, according to the fire department.

Fire Capt. George Laing said an electrical malfunction in a lighting fixture in the kitchen sparked the blaze. The house is outfitted with cellulose insulation, a highly flammable material, Laing said.

“(The fire) was pretty highly localized,” Laing said. “But there was a potential for the fire to spread through the rest of the house, so that required a great deal of overhaul.”

The fire caused minimal fire damage, but Laing said fire crews had to remove parts of the ceiling to take out the insulation and prevent the fire from rekindling.

One resident in the home tried to put out the blaze by using a chemical agent once the light fixture started smoking, Laing said. Although the resident’s actions helped stem the spread of the flames, Laing said it’s not an action the department would recommend.

“We typically recommend that people evacuate,” Laing said. “We don’t want people going into or staying in a burning structure.”

All of the residents were able to make it out of the house safely before fire crews arrived, Laing said. No injuries were reported.

Laing said the American Red Cross responded to the scene and is helping three adults and two juveniles find temporary shelter.

--Bay City News